I seem to have a hard time making a commitment to doing Furry Friday posts - because I like to blog when I am in the mood to. Therefore, all further Buddy posts will be done whatever day I wish too :) These pictures were taken last weekend. A sunny day combined with low tide and Buddy bath day all converged into the perfect day to take Buddy to the beach for the first time. If we let him go off leash, well, we likely would never catch him again therefore he had to enjoy it on leash. He is a grazer, loves eating anything and everything off the ground. Another reason to have a short leash at the beach as there are things there like jellyfish that could make him pretty sick. Last week he ate a bunch of rhododendron blossoms and I started to panic as those are supposed to be fairly toxic to dogs. There were zero noticed side effects from that episode but you can't be too careful.
We let him take his time in this new land of 1000 new smells. He loved being in the water - apparently poodles are water dogs. The water is still cold and the wind was still a bit biting so we only let him get in up to mid leg. He drank some sea water (just a little to show him he shouldn't be drinking it) and tried to bite the waves.
He met a few other dogs too. All in all a very happy pooch day at the beach. Have you ever seen an unhappy dog at a beach? They all seem to be smiling there.
The last few days have been cold, windy, rainy and miserable. Fortunately, Buddy is now fully house trained (with only a couple of minor accidents when we disregarded his signals) and has full roam of the house as long as we are available to pay attention to his very quiet grunt/whines to be let out. He can only be in the bedroom and office when one of us is in there but otherwise he seems to be quite respectful of our stuff. That is as long as we don't mind his "stuff" all over for him to play with. Even if I pick his toys up and put them in his bed he drags them out one by one. We also now have a routine going for weekends when we want to sleep in. One of us gets up at 630 to let him out then he has roam of the kitchen/laundry room until we get up. This seems to suit him fine as he just goes back to bed and we all get a bit more rest.
He is snoozing beside me as I type this. He likes hanging out under the blanket lately so I covered him up with it.
In other news I downloaded a free app for my iphone 4s(2 year old company phone and going strong) called Pacer. The idea is that everyone's activity level should be at 10,000 steps per day or more. When I first started using it I was appalled at my numbers. Let's just say I have a ways to go before I get near breaking 10,000 steps. Even the 2km circular walkway in town that we sometimes take Buddy to is only about 2800 steps. Since we work and live at home it seems even harder to get that much activity in. We do own a treadmill which hubby uses. Likely I will be using it in the near future to get my activity level up. I hate dieting but was finding that even when I eat little, I never lose weight. The only way to counteract that is with more activity. Seeing as how our trip to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico is only 1.5 months away I need to get my body into bathing suit shape.
What is your favorite free app?
I bought dh a fitbit and he regularly walks over 10,000 steps a day at work. He's an electrician. He managed 15,000 the other day, he was super busy and worn out when he got home.
ReplyDeleteI would love one of those - maybe in August for my Birthday. I will have to let the kids know.
DeleteOh rats! I am so far behind on steps I will never catch up!
ReplyDeleteI only try one day at a time. I don't think there is any catching up without hurting yourself.
DeleteOh, Buddy..you stole the show, as usual.
ReplyDeleteJane x
He is a charmer, that is for sure.
DeleteLooks like Buddy is a beach bum for sure. I hate to say, my favourite free app is solitaire. Not much for getting exercise. - Margy
ReplyDeleteI have spider solitaire too - often play it when waiting for things :)
DeleteHe is just so adorable, look at that cheeky face! x
ReplyDeleteHe is cheeky - and definitely a little devilish.
DeleteYes, a happy dog is a dog at the beach! Zoey used to pick up everything too. She still picks up some things, but not as much and no more poop, thank goodness. As for reading those signals, well, I was resistant, but we finally tried the bell by the door approach that everyone recommended to me. I tied a jingle bell to a string and hung it by the door. In no time at all, Zoey learned how to use it. She rings the bell and we come running. It really works.
ReplyDeleteBuddy does that, I think it is a puppy thing. He is becoming more vocal so I think we are turning the corner. He hasn't used his pee pad in the house in weeks. He definitely knows he needs to go outside and can now hold it for up to 3-4 hours when we go out and overnight at night time.
DeleteNow if you can only train Buddy to put his toys away. We have toys all over the house :) Walking more does help with the weight loss or any other activity for that matter. I have become sedentary since our return from Mexico and the weight is staying still no matter how much less I eat. Sorry, don't do apps, have no phone.
ReplyDeleteThat would be a huge feat but we are just happy he is house trained at the moment. It is so easy to become sedentary. At least this app makes me think about it which makes me move more.
DeleteBuddy is simply adorable! Too bad I live across the country because I would offer to babysit him while you're away! My fave free app is Lose It! it helps track what you eat and you can scan nutritionnal info right into it. You can also calculate the calories of your favorite recipes!
ReplyDeleteI got a podometer 2 weeks ago and I am totally addicted to walking 10,000 steps a day! Sometimes I just walk in the house!
He is so cute! I would love to have a friend that would Buddy sit but he is a handful. I am so glad that his previous owner is willing to take him plus he loves her and his mom and dad are there and he loves playing with them. At least he will be occupied without driving her crazy.
DeleteAs far as I'm concerned, any BODY is in bathing suit shape and to heck anybody who disapproves. Buddy is a sweetheart. I had friends with a Boston Bull that would not set foot on the beach. You'd walk her to the edge of the sand, she'd touch it with a paw, and she'd sit down and go no further.
ReplyDeleteVery true. Buddy is totally in love with the beach - nice since we go there so often.
DeleteOh I like Mitchell's comment!! If I went by my notion of "bathing suit body" I'd never wear one again! I love when we put our pets into a "new to them" environment! Looks like Buddy had a blast. The kittens have been exploring the patio and their favourite activity is jumping up in the air to catch bugs :) (and eat them...yuck!)
ReplyDeleteMitchell rocks. I just would like to feel healthier more than looking better :) Buddy's favorite protein is dried worm. There's no stopping him.
DeleteI have a Wii Fit that I pull out from time to time. I just started using it again, and it's amazing how much time I can spend with it. I get bored walking, so when I do walk any distance, I wear my mp3 player and listen to audio books. That really helps me to walk longer. :)
ReplyDeleteBTW, I think the only time I've ever walked 10,000 or more steps was last year when I walked over to the Big Tent at Quartzsite, walked around the big tent, and then up and down the lanes of other vendors across the street, and back to our campsite. LOTS of steps that day!
It is incredibly hard to get to 10,000 steps. I average between 4,000 and 6,000 a day - was even lower when I wasn't keeping track so at least I am now aware of my activity level and that counts for something.
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